Sound of the mountain hear my roar
by TheGutsyWolf
Summary: Unruly pokemon, powerful gym leaders, and a seemingly unbeatable pokemon league. That's what Hanako has to put up with when her grandmother all but forces her into being a trainer. But, life is ever rarely all that simple and when an enigmatic team calling themselves team rocket start causing trouble around the region, Hanako finds herself burdened with having to help stop them.
1. Chapter One: The Late Arrival

Hello, TheGutsyWolf here and I'm finally back from the grave with a new and improved story for you all. Updates will be slow for the moment since I'm not going to have much access to the internet over the next week or so, due to work and the fact that I'm going on a short vacation soon.

But, nevertheless, since I've had this chapter ready for a while now I've decided to repost today as a little teaser of what's to come, so here it is.

 _Posted: 02/02/19 | Word count: 2,895_

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Chapter One: The Late Arrival

 _I'm late. I'm late. I'm so very, very late._ That's what she chants as she runs through the quiet streets of Pallet Town, looking like a lunatic as runs through narrow side streets, vaulting herself over walls and weaving herself in between and past slow-walking pedestrians as she makes her way through the town.

It's not long before she reaches a set of stone steps which lead up along a steep hill and towards her desired location. She wastes no time taking the steps two at a time as she starts the long climb up the hill, her brown leather satchel bouncing vigorously beside her.

In her haste to get up the steps, she loses her footing on one of the steps and to her immediate horror nearly ends up tumbling backwards down the hill. But, by some stroke of dumb luck, she manages to somehow right herself before she starts to tumble backwards. She slows her pace a little after that for the fear that she won't be as lucky next time as she takes a few quick moments to catch her breath. Before she restarts her ascent up the hill.

It doesn't take her long to climb the rest of the way up the hill, her thighs throbbing in protest when she finally comes to a stop at the top of the hill. She lets herself rest a few seconds as she rubs the stiffness out of her thighs and let herself catch her breath, while she stares out across the town and surrounding farmland below.

She has to remind her self that she's not there to enjoy the view as she sets herself off running again, following the neatly bricked road until she reaches the elegant building which sits overlooking the town below. She slows her pace as she nears the building, which she's only ever seen I passing glances from the bottom of the hill or more commonly on the TV.

It's a place that she has only ever heard of in passing, and one which she has never had the good fortune to step inside of. But, that's not to say she doesn't know all about its polished tiled floors, top of the range equipment and machinery which costs thousands if not millions of dollars, as well as, it's expansive library rumoured to have the rarest of rare books about all sorts of topics from pokemon to plants.

She doesn't get the chance to step inside the building today either since she's spotted before she even makes to the entrance, by a lone figure who stands watering some nearby flowers as three pokemon a wartortle, a psyduck, and an energetic politoed mill around soft jets of water spraying out of their mouths as they two water some nearby flowerbeds and rosebushes.

"Ah, Miss Kobayashi." Greets the man with a friendly smile as the three pokemon around him gaze at her watchfully for a few seconds. Before turning to continue what had previously been doing. "I see you have finally arrived. I was starting to think you had maybe gotten lost on you're way here."

"I'm sorry I'm late Professor." She palms the back of her neck sheepishly as the professor bends to set his watering can down beside him. "But an escaped group of tauros where blocking most of the roads leading into town so I had to take the long way here."

The professor just nods at her, smiling amusedly as he chuckles softly to himself. "Ah, yes. I've been hearing all about that herd of tauros from my assistants this morning, seems like that they've been causing quite the ruckus."

She nods in agreement, remembering how distressed the local police force had been this morning, as they tried and failed to corral the herd of mischievous tauros away from the town and stop them from causing trouble, like the last time they escaped and ended up demolishing someone's car.

"My grandmother said to tell you that she has gotten everything you asked for." She says, rifling through her satchel, searching for the brown packaged parcel and it's accompanying letter both of which she hands to the professor. "She also told me to tell you to give her more than a weeks notice the next time you ask her for a favour."

The professor laughs, tucking the letter into his signature white lab coat. "Thank you, Hanako." Replies the professor. "Please be sure to thank your grandmother for me when you get home. The parcel you've just delivered is going to go a long way in helping me expand my current line of research and for that, I am very grateful."

Hanako nods and has to bite her tongue to stop herself from asking what she's just delivered. "I'll be sure to tell her."

The professor gives her a friendly wave goodbye as she retraces her steps back down the path she came from. "Okay." She says adjusting her bag to a more comfortable position on her shoulder. "One delivery down, only sixteen more to go."

"You really don't have to keep thanking me, sir." Confesses Hanako, holding up her hands in front of her in a shy attempt to protest the man, who continues to shower her in praise.

"Nonsense." He shakes his head vigorously at her. "Without that medicine, you just delivered my poor Psyduck would still be suffering from one of those dreadful headaches she's plagued with."

She sighs, knowing full well that Mr Tanaka isn't going to let her leave without thanking her at least a dozen or so more times, she wishes he wouldn't. But, it's something she's had to become accustomed to over the years since she's never been able to avoid the praise and gratitude customers insist on showering her with.

She sometimes feels the inescapable urge to tell them to stop clawing it's way up the back of her throat, it' her grandmother that they should be truly grateful towards, she is after all the one who works hard cultivate and prepare the plants that eventually become the medicine which her clients are in dire need of, while her only job is to help make sure it gets delivered to the correct customer and that's rarely, if ever difficult to do even with an escaped herd of tauros on the loose.

"Just make sure she gets two doses of her medicine a day, the first dose in the morning and the second at night before she goes to sleep. My grandmother also recommends that your psyduck has something to eat before she's given her medicine." She explains, lowering her hands as the man continues to smile at her.

"Thank you." Repeats the man. "I'll be sure to do just that, don't you worry." Hanako nods once in response to the man and says a brief but friendly goodbye to Mr Tanaka as she crosses his name off of her list.

"Finally," Says Hanako with a sigh, rereading through the list of names and addresses as she gives it one final look over to make sure she hasn't missed anyone. She hasn't, and like always every one of her deliveries scheduled for the day has been delivered and rightfully crossed off.

She tucks her list back into her pants pocket as she sets off home for the day, thankful that Mr Tanaka happens to live on the outskirts of the town, since that means she might make it home at a reasonable time tonight.

She yawns as she makes her way down the narrow and deserted road. The cracked grey pavement turning into coarse dry dirt below her as the cosy cottages that she passes slowly become more sparsely situated from one another. Until, they eventually fade into the distance behind her, and the only things that's left is the dusty dirt road in front of her and the vast fenced farmland to either side of her.

Heading up the country road that rests on the rural outskirts of Pallet Town, Hanako finds herself more than a little bit relieved to see that the escaped herd of tauros from earlier have all been rounded up, and herded back into their pasture. Although, she does find herself feeling more than a little bit perturbed when the largest member of the herd, who she assumes must be the herd's leader, glares at her forebodingly from where it's stood across the field.

Warning her silently not to stray too close to the herd or fence with separates them or else. She takes a few steps away from the fence as a precaution as the tauros continues to silently stare her down from across the field, grinding its hooves loudly into the ground, kicking up a small of cloud dirt as it does so.

Hanako doesn't dare make any sudden movements or lock eyes with the tauros as she continues to walk up the road. She may not be the brightest of light bulbs, but that does mean she' dumb enough to play chicken with a dominant tauros, especially not one that could very easily trample or gore her to death in a matter of seconds with its horns.

She continues travelling up the road cautiously, making sure not to step too close to the fence or turn to look behind her when she continues to feel the burning gaze of the tauros searing a hole through her head. Until she eventually spots the beaten up old wooden sign which points in the direction which she knows to be Route One.

She pays the sign no attention as she passes it by, heading through the overgrown grass as she heads in the direction of home, only stopping to briefly watch as a small mischief of ratttata and raticate forage and play amongst themselves by the edge of a nearby stream, while a small flock of pidgey fly harmoniously above them in search of a somewhere safe to settle down for the night.

The setting sun casts a dull amber hue across the sky as the slowly approaching darkness of light contorts and bends the remaining strands of light, scattering the amber hue of the sun with vibrant splashes of blue and purple which twist to merge with the extensive landscape in front of her, as the colours of the sky choke out the last few depleting rays of the sun.

She turns her head away from the sky, as she, unfortunately, hasn't got time to waste on staring at the scenery of the route in front of her, no matter how beautiful it may be. Since, she's only got an hour or so to get herself home, since her grandmother likely to scold her if she's late for dinner a third time this week. Thankfully, however, it isn't long before the glowing silhouette of the Viridian City worms it's way into her view.

She makes her way towards it, the uneven dirt road turning slowly back to concrete as she snakes her way further into the city, passing by a few familiar dimly lit stores, as well as, a smiling young mother who laughs sweetly at her child as he races with a floating magnemite which hovers above the child's head, she assumes it must belong to the child's mother since she's the one carrying a pokeball.

She continues on her way through the wide open streets of Viridian City, until she finds herself following the road that will lead her further towards the more rural edge of the City, as well as Route Two. Continuing to navigate herself down the road, Hanako eventually starts passing fewer and fewer people as she makes her way home, the smoothly paved roads of the city being replaced once again by uneven dirt and stone.

It doesn't take her long after that to reach her home, the shops bell rings above her as she lets herself in through the front entrance where she spots her grandmother behind the counter standing and patiently listening to a large dishevelled man, who slumps against the counter with his head in his hands as he quietly sobs out details about his sick poliwag. Her grandmother raises a bushy white eyebrow at her as she quietly walks into the back of the shop, giving her grandmother a shrug in response.

Her grandmother continues to watch her from the corner of her eye as she continues to write down notes about the man's poliwag into her notebook, the man continuing to sob and stutter as she does so.

She toes off her shoes as she removes her coat and satchel, hanging them on a free coat hook as she heads into walks into the kitchen, grabbing herself a glass from out of one of the nearby cupboards and filling it with water. Before leaning against one of the kitchen counters as she sips from the glass casually, a pot of something tasty smelling bubbling and churning beside her on the stove as she does so.

She makes short work of the glass of water, placing it in the sink beside her as she pushes herself off of the counter and turning in the direction of the stairs so she can head upstairs to her room. However, before she can even lift a foot to step towards the stairs a soft tip-tapping on the wooden back door of the kitchen echoes through the kitchen, interrupting her.

She yawns and slowly walks towards the back door, the tapping on the door growing louder and more impatient which each step she takes.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." She shouts as she unlatches the door. "Keep your bloody feathers on, sheesh."

She unlocks the door, swinging it open to reveal the short brown figure of her grandmother's noctowl, who gives her an ill-tempered squawk of annoyance as it trots itself into the kitchen. Before he turns his large piercing red eyes towards her in frustration as he cranes his neck downwards to peck at his harness lightly.

"Yeah, yeah. You want it off I know" She waves her hands dismissively towards stern owl pokemon, walking towards him as he stands watching her impatiently as she bends down to unfasten and remove his harness and it's attaching bag.

Noctowl turns it's head to the side away from her as she unbuckles and loosens the straps that are interlinked under his feathers. "You're surprisingly more crabby today than usual." Said Hanako, receiving a squawk of annoyance from the pokemon as she fiddles with one of the more trickier straps. "What happened? A wild Beedrill sting you in the butt while you were flying over Viridian Forest."

Noctowl turns to glare at her for the comment, rewarding her with a few well-placed pecks to her arms and hand. "Grumpy old bird." Yells Hanako as she attempts to swat him away with her hands to no avail. "I was only joking."

Noctowl replies with a few angry sounding shrinks and squawks as he flaps his large brown wings at her angrily, using them to knock her off balance and send her tumbling ungracefully to the floor before he swoops down to peck at her.

The two continue to brawl with one another, with Hanako doing her best to swat him away with her arms, while Noctowl caws and claws at her his sharp talons digging into her leg. Until, she manages to get t enough leverage to push herself up off of the floor and grabbing one of his legs, yanking him from the air as she pins him to the floor. This, however, does stop the overgrown pidgey from continuing to peck at her wherever he can as they roll and squirm with one another of the cold kitchen floor, knocking over a chair as they do so.

"Hanako. Noctowl." Roars her grandmother as she storms into the kitchen. "What in the world are you two doing? Stop it at once."

"He started it." Shouts Hanako as she continues to wrestle with the noctowl on the floor as he in turn kicks and squawks in annoyance at her.

Her grandmother scowls at them as she marches across the small kitchen towards them. "I don't care which one of you started it." Yells her grandmother, yanking them both up and off of the floor by the scruffs of their necks. "If you two don't stop this nonsense right now I promise you I'll personally put an end to this foolish squabbling myself."

Both Hanako and Noctowl grumble at each other in response as her grandmother continues to keep hold of them as she scowls angrily at them, while she waits to see if they have indeed decided to quit fighting with one another, only letting them both go when she's certain neither one of them is going to restart the fight.

"You room." She says, pointing at her granddaughter and ushering her upstairs. Her noctowl letting out an amused hoot at the command that sounds almost like a snicker as she turns to sulk up the stairs, only to receive a sharp whack on the head. "And don't think you're getting off scot-free mister I saw how you were trying to peck at her face." Her grandmother continues with her scolding of her noctowl as Hanako walks up the stair, at least now she will finally be able to change out of her clothes.

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Hi, me again. Just wanted to say a big, big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favourited this story. I was initially going to scrap this story and give up trying to write a pokemon centred fic. But, thanks to all the support I've received I decided to dust off my writing cap and attempt once again to write a somewhat plausible story about a girl and her pokemon.

Thanks again, TheGutsyWolf.

P.S. I might be able to post another chapter tomorrow before I set off on my holiday, It will only be short. But, I'll try to have it ready before then, cheers.


	2. The long hard talk

_A/N: Hiya everyone sorry about the late update but I'm finally back off my holiday and have a brand new chapter for you all, hope you all enjoy._

Posted: 12/02/19 | Word Count: 1,679

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Chapter two: The long hard talk

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Everything is more or less back in order when Hanako returns from upstairs dressed in clean slightly floral smelling clothes, having changed out of her grimy, sweat-stained work clothes. She pauses when she reaches the bottom of the stairs, standing in the darkened doorway which connects the front of the shop with the kitchen and the stairs, watching silently as her grandmother mills around the kitchen stirring the pot which sits bubbling on the stove while Noctowl sits on his perch, grooming his feathers, his harness now having been removed and placed on the coat hook beside her.

She notes with a hint of trepidation spiking in the bottom of her gut, the solemn tenseness that chokes the air of the kitchen as she stands in the shadow of the darkened hallway, unwilling to step across the threshold and into whatever unpleasantness which awaits.

She notes with a hint of trepidation in her gut, the solemn tenseness that fills the air of the kitchen as she stands in the shadow of the

"Well." Says her grandmother, in a tone fitting of the surrounding atmosphere as she continues to stand facing away from her as she adds a few last touches to tonight's meal. "Are you going to sit yourself down at the table? Or are you going to stand hovering around in the doorway like a haunter all night?"

Hanako bristles for a moment in poorly concealed alarm, wondering how her grandmother knew she was there as she gathers together the courage to step over the threshold, her grandmothers noctowl watching her keenly as she silently walks through over to table and sitting herself down in one of the chairs, the wood creaking underneath her ominously.

She turns her head towards the table as she quietly sits in the kitchen, counting the cracks and scratches in the wood as she traces them with a finger, contemplating the day's events and the unshakeable sense of thoughtful seriousness which lingers in the air, smothering her.

It's not long before her grandmother finishes preparing dinner their dinner, shuffling towards the table and setting two bowls of food down on the table in front of her, the white porcelain clinking against the wood as the stew resting inside the bowl splashes against its sides. Her grandmother turns away from the table to give a patiently waiting Noctowl his food, receiving a soft hoot in appreciation from the pokemon before he starts to eat from his bowl.

An old wooden chair scrapes against an even older floor as her grandmother pulls the chair from the opposite side of the table, sitting herself down at the table she gives the customary speech of being grateful for the foods she's about to eat, before picking up her cutlery.

Hanako does the same, her movements stiff and speech muffled as she mirrors her grandmother's movements and picks up her own cutlery, finding herself unable to eat the apathetic tenseness between them refuses to disappear.

She isn't sure how long they stay like that, sitting in silence as Hanako stares down at her bowl of food, stirring the contents of her bowl gently with her cutlery but never making a move to eat any of it as something lousy squirms around in the pit of her gut.

"I think it's about time we have a talk. Don't you think, Hanako." Said her grandmother from across the table as she places her cutlery back down on the table.

She doesn't respond as she continues to stare unseeingly into the bowl of stew, carrots and various other vegetables swirling around lazily bowl as her head remains bowed towards the table. The thing inside residing in the deepest part of her gut slithering up to the back of her throat, choking her.

"Hanako." Repeats her grandmother. "Look at me."

She lifts her head up slowly away from the bowl her eyes locking with her grandmothers as the elder stares back at her stoically, resting her wrinkled old hands neatly on the table in wooden table in front of her.

"I think it's time." Announces her grandmother, breaking herself off shortly as a short coughing fit overtakes her. "I believe it's time we discuss you becoming a trainer."

"What is there for us to discuss?" Questions Hanako as her eyes remains locked with her grandmothers. "I have no intentions of becoming one."

Elderly pale brown eyes bore into her own as her grandmother clasps her hands together on the table. "Now, Hanako." Starts her grandmother, face betraying no glimpses of emotion as she faces her. "It's tradition."

The thing sitting in the back of her throat does a sickening somersault down her oesophagus into her stomach, weighing it down heavily as she barks out a muffled response. "It's psychotic is what it is." Her stomach churns revoltingly as the thing inside her tries to break free. "Seriously, I'm not ten or even twelve years old anymore grandmother. I'm nineteen. I'm practically an adult now, which is way too old to be battling gym leaders for shiny little paperweights." She breaks eye contact when her grandmother huffs at her from across the table. She knew this day was coming, it's not like they could put it off forever.

"It's not psychotic." States her grandmother sternly, her stoic mask slipping for a fraction of a second to reveal a glimpse of a frustrated frown underneath before she conceals it. "It's a tradition and as the head of this family it is my duty to uphold and maintain it until the day I inevitably die." Her Noctowl gives a hoot of agreement as he sits watching the scene from his perch. "I had to start my travels when I was young, younger then you I'll have you know. So did your grandfather rest his soul, and your mother."

Hanako scowls at her. "Yeah and just look at how well that turned out for yo-" "Enough," Roars her grandmother, slamming her hands down sharply on the table shaking the cutlery and shaking the bowls, knocking Hanako's off the table altogether, sending lukewarm stew and shards of porcelain across the floor as her grandmother glowers at her from across the table.

The hairs on the back of her neck and arms stand up stock straight as she stares at her grandmother in shocked confusion, her grandmother's fists remaining curled where they slammed against the table as she continues to scowl angrily at her granddaughter.

"Enough." Repeats her grandmother, uncurling her fists as she calmly folds them back in front of her as tares at Hanako dryly from across the table. "Now, if things where different you would have been sent on your travels years ago and we wouldn't be having this conversation. However, since there's nothing either of us can do to change the past the only option left is for us to move forward." Her grandmother takes a deep breath of air into her lungs before releasing it calmly. "Now, you do have a trainer license somewhere in your possession, do you not."

Hanako grits her teeth as she nods stiffly at her grandmother in response. It's true she does happen to have the tacky plastic card her grandmother is talking about, tucked away messily in a shoebox filled with other useless pieces of crap which she keeps tucked away in the back of her closet.

She receives a stern nod from her grandmother in reply as her grandmother's noctowl flies down from off his perch, pulling lightly at the bottom of his masters faded brown cardigan with his beak, only stopping when her grandmother reaches an old bony hand down to stroke the top of his feathery brown head.

"It's settled then." Affirms her grandmother, stroking the top of her noctowl's head as he closes his eyes in a moment of content silence. "From this day forward you hereby retired from your delivery duties, and are to instead focus solely on your usual lessons with me and your training sessions Hibiki sensei and Kotone sensei. Until, I can arrange for you to receive a suitable pokemon that will accompany on your travels, understood.

Hanako huffs as she grumbles out an unintelligible response as she sharply turns her head away from her grandmother, folding her arms against her chest tightly.

"Understood." Repeats her grandmother a little more forcefully as her granddaughter continues to refuse to look at her. "I sai-"

Hanako's chair scrapes against the old wooden floor noisily as she pushes herself away from the table cutting of her from repeating herself a third time. She turns her back on the women who surprisingly doesn't attempt to stop her or speak as she heads out of the kitchen, heading up the stairs with her teeth gritted tightly together and her hands curling into fists beside her

She practically throws herself onto her bed as she steps into the light-less bedroom, grabbing one of her pillows she promptly using it to cover her head as she takes deep rasping breaths into the fabric.

The waves of fear that shoot through her as her stomach drops to the cold, dark floor below come as a shock as pain shoots through her lungs and chest, worsening further with each gasp of sickening air she inhales. Her heart jackhammering itself wildly against her ribcage as a crushing sense of fear entangles itself around her, paralysingly her.

 _What's happening to me. Am I having a heart attack?_ She heaves and shakes on the bed her, the knuckles of her hands turning white as they refuse to unclasp the white cotton fabric of her pillow.

 _I can't breathe. I can't breathe. **Why can't I breathe?**_

She tries to cry out for somebody, anybody to help her as the pain shooting through her lungs intensifies to tear jeeringly painful leaves. But, it's no use as she quickly finds herself unable to form words as her tongue lolls around uncooperatively against the inside of her mouth, big black spots clouding her vision as she attempts and fails to alert someone about her distress.

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 _A/N: Anyway that's the end of chapter two. Hope I didn't completely screw up any of my characters too much, especially Hanako. She was having a bit of a panic attack towards the end there and I hope I managed to write and make it somewhat convincible._

Also, thanks for all the support last chapter everyone it means a lot to me, really it does.

Regards, TheGutsyWolf.

P.S. I'm going to be going back over this chapter and the last to touch up on some of the spelling mistakes I've noticed, see you next chapter.


	3. A short filler chapter

_A/N: Hello eveybody, I'm back with a short filler-ish chapter for you all before I post chapter numero three later on this week._

Posted:19/02/19 | Word Count: 845

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A short filler chapter / Chapter 2.5

It's still dark outside when she awakens from her dreamless state of unconsciousness, her eyes glued shut and crusty from the tears that she shed in a wild moment of panic, swinging her legs over the side of her bed she reaches up her hands shakily to wipe the crusts from her eyes.

Her tired eyes remain unfocused and blurry as she tries to read the clock that sits on her bedside table, she picks it up slowly and holds it closer to her face in a groggy attempt to figure out how long it's been since she fell unconscious. The fuzzy red light of her digital clock stares back at her as she groggily tries to distinguish which numbers mean what.

 _3:13 am_ That's what's proclaimed on the clock as she slumps over her bed.

Hanako yawns tiredly into the air as she places her clock back on her dresser as makes to stand from the bed. She pops her head out of the door of her bedroom, wincing every time the old wooden door shrikes into the night or when the floorboards underneath her feet creak and groan as she stands on them.

The hallway between her room and the bathroom, her grandmother's room, and the stairs is dark and empty, no fading glimpses of light coming from under any of them and there are no sounds drifting from up the stairs or otherwise to signify that anybody but her is awake. Although, she guesses Noctowl could still be prowling around somewhere inside the house since it's in the old bird's nature to be up all hours of the night.

She sneaks her way over to the bathroom, the groaning of the floorboards be damned as her feet pad as lightly as they can across the floor. The bathroom door creaks noisily in the quiet hallway as she steps inside, closing the door behind herself as she switches on the light.

She sighs a breath of relief as she leans over the bathroom sink. She touches her face lightly as she stares into the mirror at her tear streak face, her eyes still a little red and puffy, and feeling more tired than she ever thought could be possible as she turns on the tap. She turns on one of the taps and lets the sink fill with cold clear water as she stares unseeingly at her reflection, the events from earlier swirling around in her like the water flowing into the sink underneath her.

She turns off the tap when the water nearly overflows over the basin. She lets some of the excess escape under the plug hole and sloosh down the drain before she submerges her hands into the cold liquid, cupping whatever amount she can into the palms of her hands before raising them and letting herself drink the water greedily.

Once she's had her fill she sets about washing her face using the soap that sits on the side of her sink to clear away the grime from her face. Before, gathering more water into her hands and splashing on herself and letting it drip back into the sink.

She reaches around behind her until she feels the soft fabric of a towel under her hand. She clutches the sheet of fabric tightly into her hand as she brings to her face, wiping the excess moisture from her face and placing it back onto the radiator from which it came from.

She looks up into the mirror again, staring at the doleful face of the person looking back at her as she wonders why, why her? Why out of anyone else born on this planet, in this country, in this region is she the one that has to live a life which is governed by solely by a set of rules and traditions.

Tears slide and blend together as they travel down her face before plummeting into the murky water that rests in the sink. She swipes a shaking hand across her eyes as the tears continue to fall without her consent into the sink. Her other hand comes up to cover her mouth as a sob works it's way up her throat and out of her mouth.

When did everything in her life get so twisted and contorted out of shape? When and where did everything go so horribly, horribly wrong? That is also something she doesn't know. But if she had to guess it happened around the same time she was brought into this world. Crying and screaming, and ever so alone.

She lets herself silently cry herself out after that. Hot, painful tears streaming down her face as her sobs come out muffled and distorted but not soundless from behind her hand, the suffocating feeling from earlier coming back to haunt her throughout the endeavour. Until she too tired to cry, too tired to stand even as she lets the water fall down drain down the sink. Before, heading back to her room and flopping back down on the bed and covering herself with her blanket.

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 _A/N: Initially wrote this as an introduction/prelude to the next chapter. But, it didn't quite fit and I didn't want to scrap it so here it is._ _But, yeah. Thought Hanako could use a good cry after the last chapter so here she is in all her tear streaked glory._

I would also like to mention that I have updated the last couple of chapters, gotten rid of some of the more glaring spelling mistakes and other such problems. I have changed anything major. However, I did add in a mention about Hanako's teacher/senseis, only a mention though they won't appear until the next chapter. I also changed Hanako's panic attack scene around a bit to make it flow a bit better with the story.

 _A/N: If you've made it this far down the page then I would just like to give you my sincearest thanks. Regards, TheGutsyWolf._


	4. The duty of a teacher

_A/N: Hello, and welcome back to sound of the mountain hear my roar. I Know it's been around three whole months since I've updated this (or any of my other fics) But, rest assured I am not dead and I have not abandoned this or any of my other works. It's my life is often gets complicated with work and family, so I haven't found myself being able to write as much as I wanted to. Also, writer's block is an old nemesis of mine that for some reason wouldn't leave me or my plot bunnies alone._

 _However, with Detective Pikachu having been released (It's awesome guys, check it out if you can.) and pokemon sword and shield having been announced (Woo, finally a game based around my home country), I've found myself being more and more motivated to write and continue this story. So here it is, enjoy._

Posted:17/05/19 | Word Count: 3,126

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Chapter three: The duty of a teacher

 _Sometimes, just sometimes, she wonders if maybe this long unending segment of her life could have ended better, smother, and without all of the heartbreak that life seemed so determined to throw her way. She supposes, in that ever reflective way of hers, that maybe it could have._

 _That maybe, just maybe, in some perfect world where her grandmother was more open and a little less headstrong, and she herself a little more trusting and a lot less stubborn and angry, then perhaps maybe the following installment of her life might have concluded just that little bit less solemnly, and without all of the pain, the agony, and the bitterness that seemed so happy in its attempts to smother her._

Her grandmother, by most peoples accounts, is not the sort of women who backs down easily from something she's set her mind to, no matter the stakes and no matter how difficult or impossible the challenge might seem.

Her grandfather as weary-eyed and kind as he had been, had always put it down to way his wife had been raised, or if she happened to catch him in a more loosed lipped and talkative mood after enjoying a little bit too much sake - _A very rare occasion in and of itself since her grandfather was never too fond of drinking, for whatever the reason. -_ And was in an unguarded state of mind which only ever appeared after the consumption of too much alcohol or illness, the type of state that makes it easy for a small child of six or seven years old to pry for information that was not freely given.

It made it easier to understand why things were and are the way they are at the very least. He would tell her how her grandmother was not so much as raised, but how she was instead created. Molded and crafted into the perfect image of what a leader should be, what her peers and elders wanted to her to be.

A leader who would one day be entrusted to govern and watch over their clan, when her father either retired or died.

To be fair, she often wishes she hadn't have been so inquisitive or curious as a child and had instead let sleeping growlithes lie. Since she now finds it hard to be truly resentful towards someone who wasn't so much as born into this world with love. But, instead made and created to be nothing more than a pawn in someone else's rigged game.

" _You're two sides of the same coin, Hanako. More so then your grandmother is willing to admit."_ Said her grandfather once, when her grandmother had pushed her just that little bit too hard. She sure those words were meant to comfort her, and admittedly they did for a little while. Before she grew up and realized just how tragic those words really are.

" _And that is why you should never ever trust a wild sneasel, no matter how injured they appear to be. Hanako? Hey kid ….You haven't been listening to a word I've said, have you? Hanako."_

"Huh?" She groans, rousing at the sound of impatient fingers clicking together by her ear.

"Just like I suspected." Said Hibiki. "You know, I always thought it was a common courtesy to listen to someone when that someone is talking to you. Especially, you've asked that person for their assistance." He crosses his arms over his chest, forehead creasing in poorly concealed annoyance as she blinks up at him from where she's sat. "You did want my help, didn't you?"

Her hands subconsciously thread together on the table as she replies. "Of course I do." And it's true, she did ask and does still want his help. She just doesn't understand what wild sneasels have to do with anything, it's not like she's going to be coming across any anytime soon. They're not native to this part of the region for one, so she'd much prefer it if he'd just skip to the point already.

"Then why, pray tell, are you not listening."

She shifts in her seat, threaded her entwined fingers twitching against each other as she tries to restrain the urge to fidget with a nearby pen or the hem of one of her sleeves.

"It's just, er." Replies Hanako dumbly, eyes drifting automatically towards the red speckled egg that sits beside her, then back to her sensei. "Sneasels aren't native to this part of the region." She adds, for the lack of anything better to say.

"Ah, but you see my dear student." Says Hibiki, leaning over the table to tap on the cylindrical case that his student's egg rests in. "While it may be true that sneasels are not native to this part the Kanto region the analogy I was using can still be of use. For example, say you're making your way back home from Route twenty-two later today, and happen to stumble across a group of very hungry and upset Mankey, tell me how would you stop them from stealing that defenseless little egg of yours and turning into a tasty little snack."

"I….I mean. I'd er..." Stutters out Hanako caught off guard by her sensei's question. "I guess there's really not that much I could do. Aside from you know running away screaming."

He mulls his student's words over for a moment or two before speaking. "You see what I mean. There are many more threats to that egg then what you would expect and some much more common then you might realize."

Her eyes follow him as he crosses the room, stopping in front of one of the large wooden bookcases that line the room. He hums to himself softly, a simple tune that she recognizes but can't quite place as his hand glides searchingly along the spines of books. Before, stopping on one of the thicker leather bound books that sits two shelves up from the bottom of the bookcase.

He grabs the book from off the shelf and brings it back over to where she silently sits, placing it in front of her.

He grabs it and places it down on the table in front of her. "It's old." He says. "And maybe a little outdated in some respects. But it's still good. I'm more than certain you will find some of the answers you are looking for in there."

He shrugs at his student as her confused eyes trail across the worn leather cover of the book 'From egg to birth: the guide to raising juvenile pokemon' explains the books cover in faded black text.

"And even if it's not what you're looking for at least it's a start in the right direction."

"I thought you said you were going to teach me?"

Confused eyes fix on his own and he sighs, crossing his arms back in front of himself as he turns to look out of one of the windows. "Yeah, well, if you had been listening like you where suppose too, then you would know that this isn't exactly mine or my sister's area of expertise." His lips turn down into a frown as he averts his attention to the scenery of the outside world. "I mean, I'm actually considered to be a bit of a jinx at this type of thing, so much so that I'm not permitted to step a foot in the direction of my villages nesting grounds or handle any unhatched eggs."

"That doesn't sound fair." Said Hanako her own face scrunching into a frown, she knows about her sensei's home village from what he, his sister, and her grandmother have explained to her over the years.

She knows how that clan two had it owns sets of traditions and rules that must be practiced and followed above all else, and she knows how sacred and valuable their villages nesting grounds are to its people, and to the pokemon that reside there, so much so that it's very location is a strictly kept secret within the clan and amongst its people.

In fact, it's very location is said to be guarded by only a select few of the villages strongest trainers. Although, she doesn't know if Kotone Sensei was being truthful with her or if she was just trying to mess with her. Misinformation can sometimes be a valuable key in defending something so precious after all.

The very fact that they could exclude one of their own from something so important, so precious, just doesn't make sense. What could Hibiki Sensei have possibly have done to make them forbid him from taking part in something so paramount to his fellow clansmen.

She doesn't know, and judging by the way her teacher casts his eyes away from her and out the window, towards the mountain that sits far away in the distance looking far older and more defeated then any twenty-five year old has the right to. She realizes that her words have upset him, in some way or another.

 _Should have just kept your stupid mouth shut._

"You see, Hanako." Said Hibiki. "While it is both an honor and a tradition to both visit and protect the nesting grounds so fiercely guarded by my people. Sometimes things just don't happen the way they are supposed to, the way they are intended to go."

He pauses taking a breath as he continues to stare out the window, lost in some memory or emotion that she can't even begin to try and decipher from the haggard look that lingers in the corners of his eyes, across his face, plaguing his features and twisting them into something sad, something lonely.

"When I was ten years old I was entrusted to care for and hatch an egg of my very own, just like every other child ten-year-old child in the village, really." He shakes his head, lifting his hand to pinch his forehead as he inhales and exhales deeply. "But, unlike the other children, I never was able to fully participate in that tradition. Since I was never able to successfully hatch or rear an egg, no matter how many times I tried I always failed one way or another."

He turns to look back at the red speckled egg that sits on the table beside her before casting his gaze back out the window, and towards the mountain on which he was raised, the place he calls home, a place which is so close yet so incredibly far away.

Ketone and he will probably be returning there soon, possibly sooner then his sister and he are expecting, but not before their promise to Hanako's grandmother has been fulfilled.

"It still doesn't sound fair." Said Hanako meekly, voice cutting through the silence he had unknowingly left them in. "You shouldn't be blamed for something that isn't your fault."

The laugh that escapes past his closed lips sounds bitter and jaded to his own ears. But, seeing his student sitting there with her eyes submissively downcast towards the table he forces the next himself to relax, to make his next laugh that breaks out from his mouth sound lighter, more jovial.

"Don't worry about it." He replies, remembering the times he'd had this exact conversation with her grandmother and his sister, it's just one short part of his life that he has never seemed to be able to escape, and one that seems to always crop up in a conversation when he least expects it. "It all happened years ago and to be honest it doesn't bother me anymore." He lies.

His efforts, for the most part, seem to have appeased his student's nerves, she lifts her head to him and then to the book and back again.

Three loud consecutive beeps sound from his student's wrist, startling her for a brief moment before she hastily turns it off. She turns to look at him. "Sorry, Sensei." She says, standing up from the table. "But I promised my grandmother I would be home by four. She wants me to practice my dancing again, I keep getting some of the steps wrong."

Her face scrunches in distaste as she places the book in her bag, and truth be told he can't the reaction. He knows what training under Lady Miku entails and how strict she can be in her methods.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

He smiles as his student scoops up the egg's case into her arms, nodding her head at him. "Thank you, for the book. I'll bring it back with me next Monday."

"Eh, keep it. I don't have any use for it anymore and something tells me you'll get more use out of it than I ever will."

"Wait, are you sure?" She asks.

He shrugs. "I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't"

Hanako returns his smile, bright and beaming as she thanks him yet again for the book and for his time. Before turning and making her way out of the room and out of sight.

He exhales deeply, releasing a breath he didn't realize he had been holding as he walks across the room and busies himself with tiding the room, putting away left out some books that had been left on one of the tables, and clearing away some odds and ends that have been discarded and left around the room. No doubt by his sister in one of her late night studying sessions or that pesky Gengar of hers.

"Having fun?" Questions a voice behind him.

He huffs, turning around to face his sister. "Time of my life." He retorts as he tries to scrub some scribbles off of one of the walls, he going to have to have another word with his sister about her little ghost pal it seems.

 _At least it's only drawn in crayon this time and not something more permanent._ Although, the mischievous little brat will be hard pressed to find any, since he'd taken liberties to dispose of any and all marker pens he could find the last time he'd caught him drawing on the walls

"Brilliant, you won't be so pissed when I tell you that ganger's flooded the kitchen."

"He's done what?" Hibiki all but shouts as the scrub brush he's holding falls out of his hand, clattering to the floor.

"Just kidding."

Hibiki groans, letting out a nervous breath of air as his sister smirks at him. "Idiot. Don't scare me like that."

"Aww, but where would the fun in that be." Her smirk transforms into a full-blown grin as she leans back against the wall. "And who are you calling an idiot, dufus."

"I'm not a dufus. You're the dufus, idiot." He grumbles. "You do realize that until three seconds ago I was ready to murder that mischievous little punk of yours."

She laughs loud and full of mirth as she retorts "Good luck with that. Gengar's a ghost type and the last time I checked you can't murder something that's already dead dufus."

"Shut up." He says dumbly, crossing his arms over his chest as he grumbles under his breath at her. "Unless you want me to start warding the house again."

She gasps, smirk dropping from her face as she looks at him incredulously. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." He says, shooting back a smirk of his own at her.

She huffs, muttering to herself under her breath at him, while she grumbles that she'll have a word with her pokemon about what is and isn't considered acceptable behavior, again.

"Hanako seemed to be in high spirits when she left." Said Kotone. "What you did you do?"

Hibiki shrugs as his sister leans against the wall, watching him as he picks up the brush from off of the floor. "I let her keep one of my old books is all. She needs it more than I ever will."

His sister sighs, looking from away from him and up to the ceiling. "There's not much time left, Is there?" She asks.

He shakes his head. "No, there really isn't." And it's true, time keeps ticking on and it seems like all they're doing is clasping at straws as that inevitable deadline draws ever nearer.

"Do you think she's ready?"

"Do you?"

Kotone sighs, turning her attention away from the ceiling and back towards her brother. "Truthfully, I'm not sure. She's nothing Lady Miku and I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse that she hasn't inherited some her mother's more, er." She turns, bringing a hand up cough into. "Brasher, shall we say, tendencies."

"At this point, I'm pretty sure we should class it as a blessing, we may not know everything, but I'm sure we've both heard enough rumors between us to be grateful that we don't have a mini version of her to deal with."

She sighs, throwing her head back with a light thump against the wall, brows creasing together and marring her face with lines of self-doubt. She knows as well as her brother does that the clock slowly, but ever surely ticking, they're all slowly running out of time, some more than others and she doesn't know if they're going to able to properly prepare their student before the little time they still have together runs out.

"Our elders are going to eat her alive, aren't they?" He asks.

"Yes, yes they are," She says, running her hand over her face as she turns to look at him. "But, it is up to us to make sure she has enough faith and courage in herself to get back up and try again."She pushes herself from off the wall, grabbing the brush from out her brother's hand as she peers down at the colorful scribbles that decorate the wall. Before she turns to look back at Hibiki. "And to do that we need to have faith in her, otherwise we're just setting her and our selves up for failure.

"But what about-"

She cuts him off. "The only thing we should be concerning our selves with at the moment is making sure our student is both ready and able to face the challenges ahead of her. There's no point in worrying about the past and event that have already happened, only what is to come when that egg of hers hatches."

Her bother remains silent, his eyes fixed on her as he thinks over what she has said. Before he sighs, shoulders slumping in defeat. "You're right." Said Hibiki. "There are still things we need to discuss. But, you are right about one thing."

She turns her head back to look at him from over her shoulder. "We all need to start having a little more faith in Hanako."

* * *

 _A/n: Okay, so I'm not 100% happy with this chapter. But, I've literally re-written and re-wrote it over thirty times since I've been away, and this is as best as I could get it. No lie, I'll probably end up returning to it sometime in the future to touch it up in some places. But, not today. I just hope you guys out there have gotten more enjoyment out of it then I have._

 _Anyway, I kind of find it funny how many incarnations of this fic I have written over the years. Believe it or not, I first started writing the first draft of this fic in 2015, and proceeded to leave it on an old flash drive and forget about it for nearly 2+ years. I dunno, I just find it amazing that I can procrastinate that long and still find people willing to support my fics._

 _So shout out to all you everyone that has taken the liberty to actually, you know to read, follow, favorite, or comment on this fic. You guys out their make it worth it, seriously. Thank you._

 _Also, we finally got to meet Hanako's teachers. Who are, shall we say, less than convinced that their student is going to make it._

And as you can all tell there's been a little time skip since the last chapter, nothing major just a few days/maybe a week at most. Also, she has an egg, wonder if anyone can guess what's in it. Will, probably anger a few readers when it hatches. But, hey, it's my story and everything more or less has a reason for being written (For the most part at least).

SIDE NOTE: Sometimes I'm writing this fic and I remember my original thought process when I was writing it was exclusively, I love Celebi, Dragons are awesome. Lance is cool and also hot for some reason. I'm going to make a fic, and here it is.

P.S. For those of you wondering what characters sound like in this fic I suggest you watch the pokemon generations shorts on youtube. Because

A. There really good.

B. It gives you an idea of what characters look and sound like in this fic.

 _Regards, TheGutsyWolf._


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